Questions for GRRM at Worldcon

[Stubby]

Folks,

GRRM will host a question and answer session on Friday 3 September at Worldcon. The Q&A will be exclusively for the HBO series. If you have any questions about the HBO series post them here. We will endeavour to use the attending BwBers to make sure they are asked.

[ogbebaba]

A very large portion of the great dialog that you have written are the main characters internal thoughts and in some cases just flat out could not be said out loud on screen with out the the story drastically changing how is this going to be addressed

pleas tell me all those great lines are not going to be cut

are you going to use the one episode per season that you right as and opportunity to add scenes and tell us more of the story

which one of the actors on the show is closest to your mental image of the character they play on a purely physical basis?

which actor where you happiest to get on the show?

what part of the book will the episode your writing cover?

[Ran]

Just a random slew of questions:

1) How faithfully are details like costume and armor being translated to the screen, from what you've seen? Any knights with open helmets in risk of having their noses chopped off?

2) Some notable secondary characters that (as of now) haven't been announced as cast: Roose Bolton, Kevan Lannister, Donal Noye, and Walder Frey. Are they being cast, even as featured extras, or are they being held back for other seasons?

3) In terms of fidelity to the series, can we expect to see new, original plot lines introduced to explore other areas or different aspects of characters?

4) Are you every asked by the production to clarify thematic details or provide insight into some of the puzzles and mysteries introduced in the book?

5) Shae is being played by German actress, Sibel Kekilli. If she has a noticeable German accent, is the character's backstory going to be adjusted to explain this away, or will it be ignored?

6) Is there any particular sequence that you're really looking forward to seeing?

Thanks for starting the thread, Stubby, and to all those in Melbourne who take a chance on asking a question of GRRM at the convention!

[Padraig]

A very large portion of the great dialog that you have written are the main characters internal thoughts and in some cases just flat out could not be said out loud on screen with out the the story drastically changing how is this going to be addressed

pleas tell me all those great lines are not going to be cut

You've almost answered your own question there. :) The rest is just about the magic world of adaptation.

Btw, can't remember, has Walder Frey been mentioned as been cast eventually?

[usul]

i give a shoot

is there any chance to see mance rayder as the bard guy in season 1 ?

as a french, wonder know if you'll be using french tales as you did with english ones (examples war of the roses) or is there already any ?

is jon eddard 's son ?

[Jons_Ghost]

I'd like to know if the start of a new TV series based on his books adds any extra pressure on him to get the last couple of books done? The question isn't meant as a criticism but as we've seen books can take a while to write, especially ones as detailed as these, and TV shows can get turned out within a year. Is there any worry that the TV series could catch up with his writing?

[Ran]

Pod,

I don't believe Walder Frey has been mentioned at all so far. I shall add him into my question.

[redxavier]

I'd like to know if the start of a new TV series based on his books adds any extra pressure on him to get the last couple of books done? The question isn't meant as a criticism but as we've seen books can take a while to write, especially ones as detailed as these, and TV shows can get turned out within a year. Is there any worry that the TV series could catch up with his writing?

I'd like this asked as well. With the follow-up being: if the HBO series does go for 3 seasons, reaching AFFC, and the books are still nowhere near complete, will HBO be allowed end it their own way and thus bring closure to the show?

[Ran]

will HBO be allowed end it their own way and thus bring closure to the show?

Uhm ... who's going to stop the big subsidiary of the massive media conglomerate from ending the show however and whenever they want, exactly?

Some writers manage to get full creative control over their projects, but GRRM has made it pretty plain that he does not have that level of control on the series.

[McCloskey]

1. How will accents differ at all by region?

2. Do the Producers have "insider info" that the rest of us lack in order to write the characters better such as the answer to R+L=J?

3. How will battles be handled? Will we see them or will they take place off screen like most of the ones in "Rome"?

[Maltaran]

Ran - your question number 2 is likely to be one of the things GRRM is not allowed to answer yet - he's implied any questions about casting are going to be "No comment". I suspect that number 3 might be in that area too.

[Ran]

Thanks, Maltaran. I have been pondering some alternate questions since learning George is on strict orders!

[Ran]

Here's some:

Obviously, GRRM can't discuss composers for the show at all, or the producer's plans for the sound of it. But is there any composer or compositional style that he always sort of imagined the series set against? Any soundtracks that always seemed to fit? *Please don't say Ladyhawke, please don't say Ladyhawke, please don't say Ladyhawke...*

If he ever wondered what the series might look like on screen, were there unrelated films or television series that informed part of his vision? There'd be a vast difference beteen Richard Thorpe's version and, say, John Boorman's or Ridley Scott's.

Given that he's a fan of Robert E. Howard, how does he think Jason Momoa will do in the role of Conan? (Bit of a gimme, I know.)